New U.S. Highway 2 Bridge Opens in Hungry Horse
State Sen. Dee Brown won a raffle to be the first person to cross the bridge
By Justin Franz
HUNGRY HORSE — A chorus of car horns, sirens and hundreds of tiny Christmas bells serenaded the first drivers and cyclists to cross the new $13 million U.S. Highway 2 bridge over the South Fork Flathead River in Hungry Horse on Dec. 18.
The procession followed a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the bridge, which took more than a year and a half to finish. Although the weather was wet, it didn’t dampen the spirits of those in the Hungry Horse community who have waited years for the old bridge to be replaced.
“We all knew it was just a matter of time before that old bridge fell into itself,” said state Sen. Dee Brown, R-Hungry Horse, who won a raffle to be the first person to ride across the bridge.
After the ribbon cutting, Brown and a number of other guests boarded a trolley bus for the maiden voyage. Meanwhile, a number of cyclists rode alongside on the wide bike-and-walking path that was constructed on the north side of the bridge. After a few hundred feet, the trolley bus stopped and the occupants disembarked for an impromptu dance party in the rain to celebrate bridge’s completion.
Regular traffic was directed onto the bridge soon after the tent with complimentary cookies and coffee was taken down.
The bridge over the South Fork has long been on the Montana Department of Transportation’s list of most urgent road projects in the state. The old bridge was built in 1938 and, according to a 2012 study, was functionally obsolete and structurally deficient. The narrow, two-lane bridge was also the site of numerous car collisions. The crash rate for the U.S. 2 bridge was nearly 2.5 times higher than the statewide average, according to state officials.
MDT Director Mike Tooley said the new bridge would increase safety in the area and help handle the thousands of cars that travel to Glacier National Park every day during the summer.
“This new bridge is a shining example of how Montana is investing in its infrastructure across the state,” he said.